


Your Sex I Can Smell

by orphan_account



Series: An Unlikely Pair [6]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Angst, Blood, Claiming, Fluff, Knotting, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Possessive Behavior, Rough Sex, Vampire Merlin, Werewolf Arthur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-20
Updated: 2014-03-20
Packaged: 2018-01-16 01:38:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1326976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur goes into heat. It's a very educational experience.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Your Sex I Can Smell

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Candymacaron](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Candymacaron/gifts).



> This fic was on the way regardless, but it was finished thanks to the Merlin Writers March theme of song prompts, most specifically "[Closer](http://youtu.be/PTFwQP86BRs)" by Nine Inch Nails. It's my first time doing anything with heat cycles, etc. since I'm not a fan of A/B/O verses or mpreg but I also kind of wanted to give this a try. So clearly werewolf!Arthur is a perfect excuse ;) It's got the usual elements of heat with my own personal flair so hopefully it works.
> 
> (And obviously there's angst because I'm apparently incapable of not adding angst. This was meant to be PWP before the next installment deals more with plot but spiralled out of control as usual. Gah, sorry T_T)

When it happened, Arthur knew exactly what it was. Members of the pack had mentioned it (sometimes in great detail), but it was a surprise when it finally came upon him all the same.

His wolf side had reached maturity.

He was going into heat and it was _not fun._

Percival had told him stories about what happened every year around this time. Leon supposedly locked himself in the metal chamber at the back of the warehouse, but it wasn’t like anyone was going to disrespect the Alpha by having a look. Lance was still just young enough that he didn’t have to suffer through it, but Cedric and Drea did. Arthur had even been witness to some of it once, since Cedric and Drea were mated. It had been a weird, semi-frightening thing, with each of them partially transformed and fucking loudly behind a panel in the warehouse. There were snarls and grunts and howls and Arthur had not looked forward to going through it himself at all.

At least Arthur wasn’t at the hospital or in a class when it happened. No, he was in the safety of his home, where his body was free to tremble and shake, and his cock free to harden to the point of aching.

But his mate wasn’t there. Ever since Morgause’s coven had visited back in November, Merlin had taken to going longer between meals, claiming he was “making up for his indulgences,” whatever that meant. It wasn’t uncommon for him to go weeks at a time without feeding. So, of course, the one time Arthur needed him _right fucking then,_ Merlin would be out for a meal.

Arthur sat on the sofa with his hands in fists on his knees, taking deep breaths to try to calm himself. If he so much as pressed a finger to his cock, he was done. He wasn’t sure there was anything in the world to stop him from charging out of the flat and sniffing Merlin out.

Arthur squeezed his eyes shut and groaned. To think there would be five whole days of this. He knew Merlin would understand—Merlin was just great that way, especially when it came to Arthur’s werewolf needs—but Arthur was already feeling guilty about what he was no doubt going to do. He could still hear the snarls of Cedric and Drea in his head.

He was deciding between curling up on the floor or crossing the room to ring Merlin when he finally smelled Merlin’s scent on the lift. He was surprised with himself for having the control to not run through the door and take Merlin in the corridor.

“Wow,” Merlin said when he opened the door. “It actually really reeks in here.”

Arthur was still shaking as he got to his feet. He could tell the exact moment when Merlin realised what had happened. Merlin’s gaze travelled up and down Arthur’s body, taking in the bulge of Arthur’s cock through his trousers and the hungry lust that must have shown in his eyes. And Arthur was _sweating_. God, he felt like a fucking furnace.

Merlin closed the door and took a few hesitant steps towards the kitchen. “Okay, Arthur, just…just try not to hurt me too much, alright?”

He pulled off his jacket and toed off his shoes as he carefully made his way through the kitchen towards the bedroom. Arthur followed each movement almost exactly. He didn’t want to just pounce on Merlin, but Merlin was exposing skin, skin for Arthur to mark and claim. Arthur growled and stalked closer.

Why wasn’t Merlin just flitting away? Why was he moving so slowly?

Arthur answered the question himself. He knew that if Merlin made any sudden movements, his control would be out the window. One of the things keeping him from lunging was the fact that he had Merlin right where he wanted him.

Merlin’s hands pressed flat against the wall he was sliding on and his eyes got wide. Arthur recognised the scent of fear and took a few long strides closer.

“Oh God, alright, fuck,” Merlin rambled quickly. “I can see how this is going to go, so just, if you bite me—who am I kidding, of course you’re going to bite me— _when_ you bite me, stay away from my neck, yeah? I don’t want you to actually tear my head off.”

Arthur didn’t understand, not at first. He’d bitten Merlin during sex before, just quick clenches of his teeth on Merlin’s impenetrable skin when the pressure got to be too much. Arthur ran his tongue over his teeth now and found them sharp. He felt spit dripping from his chin and wiped it away with his sleeve. He tried to keep his mouth closed from then on, but his bottom canines most of all were making it difficult. It was easier to just breathe through parted lips.

He kept control up until the point Merlin stood in front of the bed and took his top off. Then it became too much. He lunged forward, thinking **_Mine_** _._

For someone so much stronger than him, Merlin’s body was very malleable. A small part of Arthur’s human brain was always surprised that the slender limbs didn’t break under such force, but was also tremendously glad of it, because he hated the idea of hurting Merlin.

That same small part was probably what allowed him the foresight of giving Merlin’s hole one long, sloppy lick before spreading Merlin’s arse and shoving his cock inside. Finally having something tight to fuck into was like jumping into a cold lake in the middle of summer, and Arthur felt infinitely better.

“Arthur—Arthur, please could you—”

Merlin’s voice was strained, as though he were speaking through his teeth. When Arthur looked down to where his hands gripped Merlin’s hips, he saw dark red blood dripping down Merlin’s thighs, his nails having turned to claws, piercing through Merlin’s flesh.

But Arthur also _didn’t_ see that, not really. All he saw was his hands laying further claim to his mate, saw them curve into something more feral as he used them to hold Merlin and fuck him harder. When Merlin tried to reach back and pull them away, to tear Arthur’s claws out and challenge his claim, Arthur gave a punishing thrust and snarled at him, making Merlin cry out.

And it felt good. It felt amazing, it felt _right_. It was the thrill of giving into his instincts combined with the adrenaline that always came with sex, and Arthur pushed back the human part of his mind that was screaming _You’re hurting him!_ to give in even more. When he finally removed his claws from Merlin’s flesh, placing them on the bed so he could lean forward and take Merlin faster, snap his hips harder, he was so far gone that his ears had shifted and he’d sprouted more hair along his back.

He was faintly aware that he was making some odd noise between growling and panting, and his chest only rumbled deeper as his orgasm edged closer. It was about that point that the pressure in his jaw started up and his and claws curled inward with the need to scratch something, _anything_ , and the mattress just wasn’t enough.

But Merlin…Merlin had a lovely expanse of porcelain skin that Arthur had always felt frustrated at never being able to mark. His back laid before Arthur’s eyes now called out to Arthur as though it were a lily-white canvas just waiting to be painted. Arthur couldn’t help himself; he raised his right hand, slowing his hips’ movement only a fraction to focus on his new task, and dragged his claws down Merlin’s sloping spine. Merlin tensed and whimpered as he was marked with a five deep lines of blood.

It pushed Arthur over the edge. He felt a swelling in his cock as his climax crashed into him, and he opened his mouth wide enough to nearly encompass Merlin’s entire shoulder, biting down into the flesh with little resistance and ignoring the awful sour taste. Merlin’s scream was torture to Arthur’s ears, but thankfully Merlin choked the sound off himself by burying his face in a pillow. Arthur’s whole body seemed to pulse along with his cock throbbing inside Merlin’s arse.

And then it was like another splash of cold water to the face, coming down from his high as though in a daze. Arthur collapsed, dropping his weight on top of Merlin and making them both fall flat to the mattress as he gasped for breath. He took large gulps of air, resting his face on Merlin’s cold right shoulder blade, and didn’t realise he was still lightly thrusting until Merlin grunted.

Arthur abruptly stilled. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked down, past the terrible lines he’d carved down Merlin’s back to where he was still lodged inside. He’d felt the swelling before, but never this exaggerated, and he’d always thought that was just from coming. It should have softened at least a little by now, right?

Arthur moved his jaw around a bit, wiggling his tongue in his mouth to see if he knew how to properly form words. “Merlin? I’m sorry I hurt you, I…I couldn’t stop, it was—”

“It’s fine, Arthur,” Merlin said, raising his head from the pillow and looking back. “You tore off a bit of my shoulder, but it should be fine after a day or two.”

“Oh. That’s, um. That’s good.” It _was_ good. It was actually the question Arthur had been about to ask after he enquired about the state of his cock. “What about…?” Arthur gave another little thrust of his hips, drawing a sudden moan from Merlin.

“Yeah, that’s…I am not entirely sure how long that will last. This is the first time I’ve encountered it, obviously. Maybe you should ask—”

“No _way_ am I asking,” Arthur declared, shaking his head. “So they can all have a laugh at me? So they can give me those looks and say, ‘What’d your bloodsucker boyfriend think when you got your cock stuck inside him?’ No way in hell am I even bringing this up with them.”

“Alright, calm down. It’s just a…it’s a knot, Arthur. You’re a doctor, or very nearly, I’m sure you can figure out the rest.”

“A… _Oh._ ” Arthur was certain he was blushing.

Merlin sighed. “Yeah. At least it…I mean, it doesn’t feel _too_ bad. Besides the awful smell and the searing pain in my shoulder, and legs, and back, that was actually quite nice.”

Arthur hesitantly reached up and poked Merlin’s shoulder, near the edge of his bite mark. Merlin hissed at the contact, his muscles tensing up, and Arthur felt terrible instantly. He could still taste sour blood on his tongue.

“I sometimes forget you can feel actual pain,” Arthur murmured, lightly tracing the wound. A chunk of Merlin’s shoulder was indeed missing, though thankfully it seemed to be slowly regenerating. How long had Merlin said it would take to heal? A day or two?

“You forget that sunlight burns my skin?” Merlin joked.

“Not that, obviously. And not the vervain or dead man’s blood. I just forget that…that _I_ could hurt you. You always seem invincible.”

Merlin snorted. “And now that my blood’s all over the bed you see I am not.”

Arthur stiffened. He hadn’t even noticed that. He hadn’t been aware of the blood-soaked duvet or his own bloodied hands. His mate’s _blood_ was under his fingernails, on his lips, drying visibly on Merlin’s back where the scratches on his spine were healing.

What had he done?

“Oh, it’s gone now,” Merlin said, cutting through Arthur’s realisations. He moved forward a bit and Arthur’s cock slipped free, still half hard but going limp. There was also a large amount of Arthur’s come leaking out that Merlin seemed to be ignoring.

Arthur began to feel like he couldn’t breathe, and his heart beat uncontrollably. All that was going to happen _again_. Maybe not for a few minutes, maybe not for a few hours, but Arthur was going to lose himself to his instincts, he was going to hurt Merlin again, fill him with his come, and he was going to like it. Just as he’d liked it before, because he’d been _claiming_ Merlin.

Merlin heard the frantic beating of Arthur’s heart and sat up, sliding closer. Arthur almost couldn’t look at him, not at his face, not anywhere, because he’d be reminded of what he’d done. Merlin hadn’t even finished himself, hadn’t even got hard. Arthur felt like he’d just raped someone. No, worse.

“Arthur,” Merlin said, lifting Arthur’s face by the chin. “Arthur,” he repeated when Arthur refused to meet Merlin’s eyes.

Arthur hesitantly looked up.

“Yes, it hurts. It hurts _a lot_. But it is nothing I didn’t expect. And it is not your fault.”

“How can you even say—”

“You’re a werewolf, Arthur. It’s in your nature. The same way it’s my nature to feed.”

“You have to drink blood to survive. It’s different.”

Merlin arched a brow. “Is it? I _like_ drinking blood, Arthur. I may hate that I have to, but I love doing it. Didn’t you like marking me? You hate it but you love it, correct?”

“I…guess so.”

“So how is it different?”

Arthur frowned, glancing at the blood on the bed. “It hurts you. I hurt you. You don’t hurt people when you feed, for the most part.”

Merlin dropped his gaze and let his hand fall from Arthur’s face, sighing. “Exactly. For the most part. But that’s not in my nature. My nature wants to feed until I’m bursting. It’s in my nature to kill, Arthur.”

“But you _don’t_. That’s the point. If you can control it, then I should be—”

“No, that’s _not_ the point, you idiot!” Merlin snapped. “And you can hardly compare the two of us when I’m centuries old and you’re just now maturing. I _still_ have trouble controlling it, so it is utterly ridiculous for you to be this hung up on some…some shoulder wound!”

Arthur felt a bit like he’d been punched in the gut. He hadn’t even thought about it that way, but put into perspective like that…

Merlin ran a hand through his hair, cringing when it caused a flare-up of pain in his shoulder. “Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to get so upset. It’s just…Can you see how this seems a bit petty to me? Years from now, you’ll think the same.”

“I understand, yeah. That doesn’t mean I feel any better about having done it. If you had hurt me in any way, you would’ve been nearly inconsolable,” Arthur pointed out.

“Yes, but you can’t control this. I know better than to lose myself like that.”

Arthur sighed. He gave up. “I get what you’re saying but I’m going to feel bad about doing it either way, so let’s just move on, alright? We should clean your shoulder and do something about the bed before I start getting all hot again.”

Merlin gave him a look that said he’d move on but wouldn’t be happy about it, and then was gone. Arthur sighed again and went to the loo, figuring that was where Merlin had flitted off to.

It was. Merlin was wiping at his shoulder with a wet flannel, watery streaks of blood dripping down his skin. Arthur put another flannel under the tap and started going over the lines down Merlin’s back. When he thought of how his marks would be gone in a few hours, the skin perfectly sealed up again, he felt equally disappointed and remorseful.

He also started to feel a prickling heat in his arms. He tried to ignore it for now.

As Arthur moved down to the bloody crescents in Merlin’s hips and the viscous beads of white dripping down Merlin’s thighs, Merlin spit onto his shoulder. Arthur furrowed his brow, because that seemed rather random and weird, but then he noticed how the skin around the wound had become less jagged edged and more fleshy smooth.

“Are you sure you want to change the duvet?” Merlin asked as Arthur finished wiping his hips. “In case we end up dirtying the new one as well?”

Arthur sighed and set the bloody cloth on the sink. He didn’t want to think about what Merlin’s words implied, but now the simmering under his skin was rising, and he knew he _would_ hurt Merlin again. Maybe it was best to keep the bloody bed clothes on after all.

“We’ll change it after…after this next time,” Arthur said. Merlin nodded and walked back to the bedroom.

“Are you sure you don’t want to ring someone?” Merlin asked as he sat on the bed. “Lancelot, maybe? You mentioned he’d started being friendly, and I doubt he’s in heat at the moment.”

“I think I’d rather just go through it myself,” Arthur replied.

Merlin pursed his lips as though he wanted to say something. He stayed silent.

“What?”

“Nothing. It just seems like you’re rather selective about which things you ask them about. I don’t understand it. I was always glad to have guidance when I was younger, and yet…” Merlin shook his head. “It’s your choice.”

Arthur had a response but it suddenly felt like a wave of heat had hit him, like he’d stepped into a sauna. It took him by such surprise that he gasped, and his knees buckled slightly.

Merlin’s nose wrinkled. “Judging by the smell, I’m guessing it’s nearly time again.”

Arthur took a deep breath. “We’re coming back to this conversation,” he said through his teeth. “I have a reason.”

“Of course you do.” Suddenly Merlin was at the nightstand, retrieving lube to slick his arse. “Just to make things a bit easier on me this time,” he explained.

Arthur took a hesitant step forward. His cock was hardening quickly and he could feel the sensation from before as though it were slowly coming to a boil inside him, from the tips of his fingers to core of his being. Like a possession taking over.

“I want you to…to finish this time, too,” he bit out. His claws were out now, and his teeth would sharpen any second. “Don’t let me…hold you like before. You’re stronger, you can overpower me.”

Merlin crawled onto the bed slowly, uncertainly. “Uh, I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Arthur. I’ll try to bring myself off, but I don’t think you’d respond very well to me fighting back.”

“Merlin—”

“Come on, best get started before it becomes too overwhelming,” Merlin urged.

He raised from his kneeling position onto all fours, turning around and baring his arse to Arthur. Arthur gave in, crossing the final distance to the bed without a second thought. He slid into Merlin’s lubed, already-fucked arse with ease.

“Here, try to keep your hands here,” Merlin said, moving Arthur’s hands to the mattress on either side of them.

Arthur thrust his hips slowly, the movements languid and melting into one smooth continuous motion, even as he struggled to hold back the desire to go faster. He’d cooled a bit once he’d got inside; now if he could just walk this line until he finished…

“There you go,” Merlin praised, tilting his head back to rub his cheek against Arthur’s. “It’s just like any other time we’ve done this. It even feels good for me.” He clenched the muscle in his arse, pushing back to take Arthur deeper. Arthur jerked his hips forward a little, unable to stop himself at the increased tightness, and Merlin moaned.

After he’d done it once, he couldn’t stop. Arthur’s slow speed and control seemed to shatter more completely with each thrust of his hips, until finally he was pounding into Merlin relentlessly. His claws curled in the mattress, ripping through the duvet and sheets beneath, and he’d stopped gasping for breath, had instead started growling in Merlin’s ear again.

But he felt like a beast was playing tug of war for control of his mind. Merlin was moaning “Arthur, Arthur, Arthur” and that was helping to keep him mostly human. However, he was quickly forming the need to claw at something again, to sink his teeth into something. To claim.

Merlin’s weight shifted a bit as he raised one of his hands to stroke himself. His lips were parted, but he didn’t gasp for breath, because he didn’t need to. He simply let his beautiful lips form a delicate “o,” his brows pushing together as he neared his peak. Arthur mentally chanted to himself, _Let him finish, don’t give in, let him finish_. If he could just hold the beast inside for a little while longer…

At last, Merlin came with a grunt, and even though Arthur couldn’t feel the throb of Merlin’s cock or see the strings of semen shoot onto the duvet, he could smell it in the air. And because Arthur couldn’t properly form words at the moment, he nuzzled the side of Merlin’s face, his chest rumbling with something not quite a growl but not quite a purr. He managed to slow his frantic thrusts back into something a little more human.

Merlin chuckled a bit, his mouth curving up slightly as he rubbed his cheek against Arthur’s, even as Arthur felt the tug on his control. “Your face is a…a bit furry at the moment, sweetheart.”

That was news to Arthur, but he could believe it. And then apparently the wolf inside him decided to give one big pull on the rope because suddenly Arthur’s control was slipping faster than he could grab hold of it again. A throaty growl erupted from deep inside him and Arthur felt like he’d just been shoved to the back of his own mind.

No, this was still him. It was a different Arthur, a more feral Arthur, but still undoubtedly him. It was one that didn’t listen to human emotions and logic, but acted on instinct, like a wolf was supposed to. It only had one goal: to claim his mate by marking him and filling him with his seed.

Human Arthur was still around there somewhere, still knocking fruitlessly on the glass barrier to try to get control again, but who cared about him? He was laughably weak; he still identified with mortals and hadn’t even gone on a proper hunt yet. He was a scared little lone wolf, an Omega, and if Merlin deserved an Arthur, it was the stronger one.

Arthur picked up speed again, raising a clawed hand to Merlin’s barely healed hip to hold him in place. As he snapped his pelvis harder, he let his curved nails sink slowly into Merlin’s skin, let Merlin feel the ebbing pain combined with the brutal thrust of his cock. Merlin whimpered once then fell into strained silence, his head hanging between his shoulders as his body rocked from Arthur’s movements.

_Fight back, Merlin, fight back!_

It was almost like Merlin heard him. Merlin raised his hand to Arthur’s and moved it from his hip to the mattress again, but Arthur growled, snapping his teeth, and then shuffled backward a bit so he could place _both_ hands on Merlin, fucking mercilessly on his knees.

_You’re hurting him!_

**_Not much. Even if I was, he’s mine to hurt._ **

_No! He’s my mate. I’m meant to protect him, to love him—_

**_To claim him, to own him—_ **

_Shut up! Just…just finish already and go away. What the hell’s taking you so long?_

Arthur moved one of his hands to Merlin’s spine, lightly grazing the skin with the sharp point of his thumb nail. He caressed the porcelain expanse in circles, traced the pink lines of the scars from before, lines that were nearly white now. He pressed a little harder, drew a bead of blood to the surface and spread it around with the pad of his thumb. The coiling heat in his groin coiled even tighter.

**_Nearly there now…_ **

“Arthur,” Merlin whispered. “Arthur, please. You know I’m yours, I’m always yours.”

Arthur didn’t growl, but moaned at that, finally coming after what felt like ages. His body pulsed as it had before, his cock swelling and pumping, still thrusting even after all the seed had left it. The cold splash of relief, the collapsing—it all happened again, and Arthur was just glad he hadn’t bit Merlin like last time.

“Ugh!” Arthur screamed in frustration. He slammed his fist down on the mattress, and wished it was something more solid, something that would break. But he was still lodged inside Merlin and couldn’t get up to go punch a wall like he wanted to. “I hate this!”

Merlin reached back and stroked Arthur’s hair. Arthur tried to let it soothe him, tried to calm his breathing.

“You’re doing so well, Arthur. You were in control much longer that time. I finished like you wanted me to.”

“But I—This is—I’m—” Arthur felt like he was about to cry, and he so rarely cried that he’d forgot what the pressure behind his eyes was like. “I don’t want to be this! This isn’t who I am!”

Merlin sighed. “I know, Arthur.”

“How? How could you possibly know? You have no _idea_ what it’s like—”

“To want to give in to urges? To lose sight of who you are until you don’t even recognise yourself anymore? To be trapped in your own body because the monster inside is so much stronger than you ever were?”

Arthur nearly stopped breathing. “Shit, Merlin, I didn’t—”

“Over three hundred and fifty _years_ , Arthur. That’s how long I’ve been someone I’m not. Every night I’ve woken up and thought that this isn’t who I am. I understand perfectly.”

Arthur let his forehead drop to Merlin’s cool back. Why hadn’t he just kept his mouth shut? It was always obvious how plagued Merlin was by his past and things he’d done. How could Arthur have spoken so thoughtlessly?

“Sorry,” Arthur said. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“I’m sorry you have to go through it. Not just the heat, but…this. All of us do. It is not easy, unfortunately.”

Arthur put more of his skin to Merlin’s, basking in the refreshing coldness for once, and wrapped his arms around him. His knot pushed a little deeper at the rearrangement and he heard Merlin make a small noise in the back of his throat.

“Does it ever pass? You know, get easier?” Arthur asked.

Merlin hummed thoughtfully, rubbing Arthur’s hands where they were settled just above Merlin’s stomach. Merlin was taking a long time answering, and Arthur figured that didn’t exactly bode well.

“Do you remember when we met?”

Arthur laughed. “Yes. I growled at you for draining a girl in an alley.”

“I told you why I did that, right?”

“You said it was an accident. That you’d tried going without blood and then you—” _Oh._

“And then I what?” Merlin nudged.

“You gave in.”

“And now? What reason did I give for pushing the limits of my control now and waiting weeks between meals?”

“To make up for indulgences. You didn’t say much besides that.”

Merlin turned his head a bit, just enough to look Arthur in the eye. “It was because of what I did when Morgause’s coven came to visit. We drained four people dry.”

Arthur furrowed his brow. It probably should have hurt a bit more that Merlin had lied, but at the moment, with everything going on, Arthur could somewhat understand. He didn’t like that it meant four human deaths, but in the grand scheme of things…

“We?” Arthur echoed.

“Some of the other coven members and I. We picked up two drunk couples from outside a pub and brought them back to the lounge. We shared them. And then we ripped apart their bodies.”

“Fucking hell, Merlin,” Arthur gasped. Merlin hadn’t even hinted. He hadn’t even seemed the least bit troubled.

“Did I ever tell you I felt bad about killing that girl in the alley?”

Arthur tried to cast his mind back nearly four years. Merlin had said it wouldn’t happen again, and had seemed a bit sorry about it, but as far as Arthur could recall, Merlin had never said he felt bad. Arthur frowned.

“No.”

“I don’t feel bad about killing those four people, either.”

Arthur forced himself to swallow. He’d rarely heard Merlin’s voice like that, so devoid of emotion, and never directed at him. It was usually in the midst of other vampires. Arthur was still getting his bearings as Merlin slipped Arthur’s cock free, more loads of come spilling from his arse, and rolled onto his back.

“But you’ve…you’ve cried before, about the things you’ve done,” Arthur pointed out. “You wouldn’t even let me read your journal at first because of what was in there.”

Merlin’s lips twitched up in a wry smile. “Yes. It’s complicated like that, isn’t it? Sometimes you feel overcome with remorse and then sometimes the monster inside wins out, making it so you don’t care.”

Arthur wouldn’t have really been able to understand before, but after tonight? He knew exactly what Merlin meant.

“After we met, and I started working at the hospital,” Merlin continued, “what happened next?”

Arthur couldn’t help the growl that rumbled in his throat. “You had sex with Gwaine.”

Merlin chuckled. “Okay, yes, that happened. That’s something else that vampires love to do, luring someone back and fucking them before feeding from them. It makes us feel powerful, and that’s another thing we sometimes fight not to give in to. But after I fed from him, do you remember what I did? _After_ I sucked you off and endured your petty threats,” Merlin added.

Arthur tried not to feel too much boiling hatred, but it was a bit difficult in the midst of his heat, however subdued his wolf side was at the moment.

“You…took care of him,” Arthur said.

“Exactly. And with Ms Le Fay? Didn’t I do what I thought was best for her?”

“Yes…”

“I told you, Arthur, I was just a farm boy from Wales in the sixteen hundreds. I was a good person before I became this. I was kind, I cared about people. Even though I have this dark _thing_ inside me now, there are ways I can still be that same boy. I can make up for the times that I don’t care about taking mortal lives by doing little acts like making one of my victims comfortable. So to answer your question, no, it doesn’t pass. You’re always fighting with the beast inside you for dominance, and sometimes it feels like it just gets harder as time goes on, but there’s always a piece of who you really are buried underneath. As long as you don’t give in entirely and let it consume you, you’ll always be you.”

It all made sense to Arthur, but did all of it apply to him? He’d only felt this “battle for dominance” recently. He’d never felt overcome with any beast-like feelings such as this when he transformed before. Things were nice when he was a wolf; there was nothing to worry about besides following an interesting scent or eating a small animal or—if he was in the city—staying hidden. It was true he’d killed his childhood friend Kay after the second time he’d shifted, but he’d still been getting used to things and Kay had threatened him. Arthur had _never_ felt such a strong struggle for control over his actions.

Maybe that was part of the wolf maturing process, though. Maybe it wasn’t just going into heat, but coming into some sort of beastly inheritance as well. Arthur sighed, wishing he knew.

“How the hell have you gone almost four centuries like this?” Arthur asked.

Merlin chuckled bitterly. “Distractions. Lots of distractions. But enough about this. There was another conversation you wanted to go back to.”

Arthur couldn’t remember for a few seconds, but then it came back to him. “The reason why I don’t ask the pack for more help.”

Merlin nodded.

Arthur rolled onto his back as well, sliding over a bit. His stomach rumbled and he realised suddenly how hungry he was. He ignored it.

“You’re friends with them for the most part now, aren’t you?” Merlin asked.

Arthur sighed. It was complicated. Lancelot no longer antagonised him—actually since they were the youngest werewolves of the group, they’d started to get on quite well—and Percival had always been nice. Leon was usually quiet when Arthur went to visit, and Arthur always felt like the Alpha was sizing him up, but it was only a bit of tension, nothing unfriendly. The only one who still scowled at him was Drea.

“Yes,” Arthur said. “Sometimes it feels like I’m already in the pack. That’s why I don’t ask for more help. Because each time I go there or speak with one of them, it’s like I’m carving myself a more permanent place. I don’t want to.”

“Why not?”

Arthur turned his head to look at Merlin. “You _want_ me to join? I thought—”

“My coven has an alliance with them _because_ of you, Arthur. It doesn’t matter to us whether you’re officially with them or not; we just lump you all together.”

“No, I mean, I thought you personally didn’t want me to.”

Merlin frowned. “Of course not. I admit I disliked them at first, but I’ve always wanted you to go to them for support. What have I ever done to give you any other impression?”

Arthur didn’t even know. Now that he thought about it, maybe it had just been an excuse his mind had created so he wouldn’t have to face it himself. What was the truth? The _real_ truth?

“I guess I just…wanted you to be my pack,” Arthur said.

Merlin laughed. “A two man wolf pack where one of them isn’t even a wolf?” Arthur felt himself blushing, and Merlin moved until he was on his stomach, half atop Arthur with a leg over him. “Arthur, you won’t be abandoning me by joining. You should have other friends besides me, you should go out and be social. Yes, you’re my mate and you’re my everything, but you aren’t my _everything_. Do you understand?”

God, Merlin was so perfect. He made things so simple, put things into perspective so elegantly.

“Yeah, I understand.”

“Excellent. Now talk to them.”

Arthur snorted. “Now? What if I—”

“Send a text. That way you can get back to it later if you become suddenly preoccupied.”

Arthur rolled his eyes. “What a lovely way to describe what happens. Suddenly preoccupied.”

“Do it, Arthur,” Merlin insisted as he got up. “I’m going to clean myself off and change the bed clothes. You seem fine for the moment, so maybe the intervals are increasing. Ask about that, too. And try to eat something if you’re up to it.” Then Merlin was gone, off to the loo where there was the sound of running water.

Arthur groaned and pushed himself up. He wondered where his clothes had went. He hadn’t even thought about it until now, when he’d started shivering a little from being naked so long. He left the bed and looked on the floor, finding the shredded remains of his and Merlin’s garments in a strewn pile. With a sigh, he left the bedroom and crossed the flat to his closet.

Was he starting to feel hot again? He couldn’t tell. It seemed the beast was sated for now, but the thought that the boiling inferno of heat could come back at any second was terrifying. After skipping pants and putting just trousers on, Arthur picked up his mobile and forced his fingers to scroll to Lancelot’s number.

_ < I don’t suppose you know anything about heat? > _

Merlin came from the bedroom, having slipped into some pants himself, and opened the fridge, pulling out an apple. He set it on the worktop in front of Arthur with a raised brow before going to the window in the living room and looking out. Arthur grunted and took the apple, biting into it while he waited for Lance’s response.

_ < Here we go. What do you wanna know? > _

Arthur was in the middle of thumbing a reply when Cedric texted him. _ < lol how’d the leech like taking your knot? > _

_ < shut up > _ Arthur said and went back to Lance. _ < How long are the intervals? and why’d you tell cedric, he’s an uncultured mongrel > _

_ < I didn’t. He was waiting around seeing who you’d contact first. Tosser made a lunge for my mobile. _

_The intervals can change as far as I’ve been told. It’s random for the most part but some things can affect it to bring it on quicker. So try not to get angry. > _

Arthur munched his apple thoughtfully. Anger, huh? And probably jealousy as well. Arthur recalled how he’d growled at the thought of Gwaine fucking Merlin. He felt a sudden twist in his chest again just thinking about it now.

Arthur pushed the feeling down. Gwaine didn’t even work at the hospital anymore. He had just been a means to an end for Merlin anyway.

In a way, Arthur supposed he should be grateful. It was because of Gwaine that Arthur had discovered his attraction to blokes in the first place, because before that, Arthur had been completely straight. He technically owed Gwaine a thank you. Yes, precisely.

Arthur breathed a sigh of relief.

 _ < Is anger going to be a problem now? Controlling it, etc. > _ Arthur asked.

_ < Very. A bit like in those films where werewolves can’t stop themselves from shifting due to anger. We don’t do anything like that but when rage takes over people can get hurt. Claws, teeth, growling. You’ve seen Cedric on a bad day. > _

“The sun will be up in about an hour,” Merlin said from the window. Arthur looked up just as Merlin turned around to face him, arms crossed over his chest. “Have you asked about controlling it?”

Arthur’s heart clenched. He hadn’t even thought about Merlin having to sleep while he would need to keep going.

“Would you…While I…?”

“Pain is just about the only thing that will keep me awake. Not even vampires can sleep through having their skin clawed at.”

Arthur winced at the image.

“Sorry,” Merlin added. “That’s why I’m asking, though. Just wondering if I’ll be staying awake a bit longer or if you think it’ll go easier next time.”

“I want it to go easier, but I honestly don’t know,” Arthur said. “Lance says the intervals are random, and I don’t _feel_ like I’m about to go insane, so maybe I’ll be able to get some sleep as well.”

“What if you wake up in the middle of the day?”

Arthur sighed. “I don’t know, Merlin. We’ll just have to wait and see. I don’t think even Lance can tell me the answer to that.”

Merlin nodded. “Alright. Just remember what I said about not biting my neck.”

“I don’t think I’m going to kill you. I think it’s more about claiming than anything.”

“Mmm. That’s good to know,” Merlin said as he went back to the bedroom. Arthur heard him pulling off the duvet and changing the sheets.

Arthur went back to his apple and Lance. _ < I can sleep, right? > _

_ < Yeah. you’ll wake up hot though. > _

_ < Is it always so rough every time? there’s a way to be more careful isn’t there > _

_ < Idk since it’s never happened to me. The others would know. Cedric is dying to talk to you about it. > _

_ < noooooo > _

Arthur’s screen suddenly showed Cedric’s number. He groaned, but grudgingly answered. He did need information.

“What?”

“Arthur. Mate. How are you?” Arthur could hear the smirk is his reedy voice.

“How do you think?”

Merlin, because he could hear from the other room, said, “Be nice, dollop-head.”

“Just finished a go with Drea. How’d your bloodsucker like—”

“Don’t.”

“—taking your knot?” Cedric burst into guffaws. To Arthur’s horror, he even heard Merlin snickering.

Arthur beat his head on the worktop.

“See, this is exactly why I’ve been having second thoughts about joining the pack. Because _you’re_ such an arse,” Arthur said.

“How sweet of you. Use us for your own selfish needs for four years and then _consider_ making nice with us. I’m touched, really.”

Arthur felt the accusation like a whip, just before Lance’s voice spoke up in the background. “Oh leave off, Cedric, you know it’s not like that.”

Arthur smiled. He was so glad he and Lance had become friends. Lance was incredibly loyal.

“Alright, so you wanna join. Great. What do you wanna know now?” Cedric asked.

Merlin appeared in the room again, checking out of the window before flitting to the kitchen and taking out more food for Arthur to eat. Arthur rolled his eyes but accepted the chicken, peeling the cover off.

“I was just wondering if there’s a way to not be so rough every time,” Arthur said. Merlin hopped onto the worktop beside him, watching him eat.

“The _vampire_ wants you to be gentle?” Cedric asked in disbelief. “He could snap your bones without even trying if he wanted to.”

“I’m aware of that, thanks, but he _doesn’t_ want to. And I don’t want to keep scratching and biting him if I can help it, so if you could just—”

“Drea and I scratch and bite each other all the time. It happens.”

“Yes, but both of you are awake. If one of you were sleeping when the other suddenly got—”

“Ah, I see. You want him to sleep through it.”

“There has to be a way to keep it in check,” Arthur said. “To have _normal_ sex while this happens.”

“You’d want to talk to Percival about that. Drea and I don’t do any of that. Just…be careful about which questions you ask.”

“Why?”

Lance’s voice was in the background again, a hushed whisper. “Cedric, are you mad? You can’t tell him that.”

“If he’s going to join, then he should know,” Cedric replied.

“Know what?” Arthur furrowed his brow and saw Merlin was doing the same, apparently just as eager to know as him.

“Percival used to have a mate. She died.”

Arthur was speechless. Percival? Carefree, brightly smiling, eternally optimistic _Percival_ had a dead mate? He could never fall in love again?

Now that Arthur thought about it, Percival had never told Arthur what _he_ did during heat. Where did he go?

“How?” Arthur asked finally. Merlin made a rude gesture in his face, obviously meant to mean _Why the fuck would you ask that, you insensitive prick?_

“She was human,” Cedric said. “She loved him even with the whole werewolf thing, but eventually he just outlived her. That’s why he’d know best, I think. He had to be really careful with her. And honestly, you’ve seen him. Even if he didn’t have supernatural strength, he would’ve had to hold back. The guy’s a tower.”

“Yeah. Yeah, okay.”

“Good luck getting him on the phone, though. He never shifts back during heat. He stays wolf the whole time, running around in the forest.”

Arthur groaned. Nothing was going his way.

“Leon would know, too,” Cedric continued, “being the Alpha and all. Obviously Percival could teach you best, but I’m sure Leon isn’t ignorant on the subject.”

“Let me guess—he doesn’t have his mobile with him in the room.”

“No, he does. I think he’s just sleeping right now.”

Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose. It wasn’t that he’d feel bad about waking Leon, not if it meant making things easier for Merlin, but he was just getting frustrated with the whole thing.

“Alright, thanks. I guess that’s it. Bye.” Arthur put his mobile down and focused on his chicken.

“So…” Merlin nudged.

“So do you want me to ring Leon and wake him up or do you want to just see how this next time goes?” Arthur asked around a mouthful of food.

Merlin was silent as he thought about it, elbows on his knees and so unmoving that he seemed like a statue. The raw chicken was cold from the fridge and making Arthur’s fingers a bit numb. He extended his claws to rip the stringy flesh apart easier before putting it in his mouth.

“I know you can do it, Arthur,” Merlin said, still unmoving. “I don’t care either way, because it’s just a little pain. And it’s almost as though…No, never mind.”

“What?”

“Forget it.”

“Oh my God, you’re kidding, right?”

Merlin sighed. “Okay, okay. I mean, you know I wasn’t always…tolerant of werewolves. You know I used to kill them. Not hunt them down or anything, but when I ran into one, I wouldn’t hesitate.”

“Yeah, I know that.”

“So I guess it’s almost like…” Merlin chuckled, shaking his head. “Like some sort of ironic revenge. I used to tear their heads off and now one of them is digging his claws into me while he claims me. Maybe that’s why the pain part doesn’t really bother me.”

Arthur blinked. “You are so weird sometimes. I’m not even going to try to understand the way your mind works.”

Merlin laughed. “Back to the point, though. I know you can control this, Arthur. You were good last time, and when it came right down to it, it was just really rough sex. There’s no doubt in my mind that you can get to at least that level again without having to contact Leon. If that’s all it is while I’m sleeping, it will simply be like…like a dream for me. The pain will be a little dulled.”

Arthur looked at him sceptically. “I don’t know, Merlin.”

Merlin slid off the worktop and wrapped his arms around Arthur, grinning broadly. “Just imagine, Arthur,” he whispered in his ear. “I’m all limp and boneless sprawled across the sheets. My arse is there, waiting for you to take me, to _mount_ me, and it’s all yours. Isn’t that the ultimate display of submission? What better way to claim your mate than to use his completely vulnerable body?”

Arthur had started getting hot the instant Merlin said “sprawled across the sheets.” It had begun with a pull in his groin like any other time, but had quickly inflamed as Merlin went on, until he could feel it like a pulse in his brain, spiralling out toward every other part of his body.

“I don’t think you’ll have much trouble controlling it,” Merlin continued, brushing his lips against the nape of Arthur’s neck. “I don’t think you’ll feel the need to mark me, not when it’s so obvious that you already own me.”

Arthur was sweating now, his arousal hot and insistent, and his clawed hands began to shake. He could feel the wolf rising inside him, as though it were hunched back on its hind legs ready to spring forward.

Merlin sniffed loudly behind him, then abruptly stepped back. “Oh shite, I didn’t mean to—”

Arthur spun around, growling as he pushed Merlin back against the fridge. It made a dent in the casing, the entire frame rattling against the wall. Merlin’s eyes were only a little wider than normal. Despite being thrown around, his eyes were cautious, his jaw clenched.

“Arthur,” he said evenly. He very slowly, very deliberately removed Arthur’s hands from his arms, and slipped his fingers between the spaces of Arthur’s own clawed ones, curling over the back of his palms.

 _He’s not challenging you, he’s not challenging you._ Arthur forced himself to breathe deeply.

“Okay? Is this okay?” Merlin asked. “Can you still speak or have you lost the ability to articulate that quickly?”

Arthur’s lips twitched, and he felt some of his normal self shift back into place. “I’m okay. For now, I think.”

“Okay. Let’s just get back to the bed, get your trousers off without ripping them, and then we’ll try to take it slow like last time.”

Arthur nodded and kept pushing back the wolf in his head as he followed Merlin through the flat. Merlin had changed the bedding and the bloodied sheets were in a pile by the window.

He wanted to push Merlin down onto the bed right then and there. He wanted to tear off these clothes, because clothes were stupid human things anyway, and take Merlin hard and fast.

Arthur clenched his free fist, the nails digging into his palms and making blood drip through his fingers.

_Not yet…_

Merlin turned to him and pulled his joggers down. Arthur stepped out of them as Merlin rid himself of his pants.

“Still okay?” Merlin asked as he sat on the bed, shuffling toward the headboard.

“Yes,” Arthur replied through his teeth.

Merlin spread his legs. “Want to try it like this, with me on my back?”

Arthur crawled up the bed, forcing his trembling limbs to move slowly. He slid his hands up Merlin’s calves, over the bony knees and down his thighs, his claws grazing the smooth skin. His right hand left a trail of blood from when he’d clenched his fist.

“Try not to mangle my cock, yeah?” Merlin teased. Arthur wouldn’t. To harm his mate’s sex would be like a sin.

Arthur nosed his way down to Merlin’s arse, ignoring the cock, sniffing briefly at the balls, but heading mostly for the cleft. Merlin leaned back a little and lifted his hips, granting Arthur access.

Vampires always had the same generic smell, but like everything else, each one had their own unique scent. Merlin claimed that when Arthur was hot for him, Arthur smelled less like a wolf and more like a forest. Similarly, Merlin’s smell morphed until it was more like an orange. The original stench had dulled over the years as Arthur got used to it, and he’d even come to like the unique scent Merlin carried. It was here as well, in Merlin’s arse, the same sickly-sweet aroma that Arthur would be able to distinguish in a room full of hundreds of other aromas.

Arthur let his tongue slide out and licked over the already abused hole, tracing the stretched rim. He could taste some of himself here, even though Merlin had cleaned up. There were traces of his come left inside, he was sure of it. He gave the hole another slow lick, making Merlin moan and push his arse forward, but he didn’t dip his tongue in. He wanted his seed to stay there, wanted to fuck more into him.

Arthur raised his eyes to Merlin’s as he moved back up Merlin’s body. His arms weren’t trembling anymore. Somehow the wolf had stopped pounding in Arthur’s head and had melted into his consciousness, swirling around until they weren’t two separate entities, but one single being. How the hell had that happened?

Positioning himself between Merlin’s legs, Arthur realised he _couldn’t_ do it like this. It didn’t feel right. And he didn’t want Merlin looking up at him if he started to transform again.

As though reading Arthur’s thoughts, Merlin slid his hands up Arthur’s forearms, where thicker hair had sprouted, the same tan colour as his fur. “Are you Arthur?” Merlin asked, staring into his eyes. “Or are you the wolf?”

Arthur felt a definite pull toward his wolf side, but not overwhelming. He gave in to it and flipped Merlin over, hauling him up onto all fours the way that felt right.

**“Both.”**

Arthur pushed in, going straight to hard and fast exactly how he’d wanted to the moment they walked in the room. He nearly raised one of his hands to Merlin’s bitten shoulder, but quickly switched so that one was on Merlin’s hip while the other curled over the opposite smooth collarbone.

His claws may have broken skin and caused a small bit of bleeding, but nothing more than that. Arthur redirected that particular need to his hips, making them thrust harder, plunging his cock deep enough that Merlin was shoved forward from the force of it. Merlin, though certainly never one to lose his breath, had even started up a steady “oh, oh, oh—”

The consuming heat was almost gone, and it hadn’t been nearly as much of a struggle as the previous times. After only about three minutes, Arthur could already feel the tightening in his thighs, the drawing up of his balls. He was nearly there. He’d _done_ it.

Merlin’s body started to slump, and his last “oh” was dragged out into a “nnngh.” Eventually his weight dropped entirely, his limbs turning boneless, and he face-planted into the duvet. Arthur didn’t bother with holding him up; he spread Merlin’s knees farther apart and kept fucking his sleeping form into the mattress, growling as he picked up speed to race to the finish.

He’d thought maybe since this was the third time, he wouldn’t come so much, but apparently he was wrong. He wasn’t sure how his body was making this much this quickly, but it felt just as blissfully good and refreshing as the other times. He filled Merlin’s arse again, his cock swelling at the base to keep it all in, and then he followed Merlin into slumber.

****

In Arthur’s dream, there was nowhere to run. The pack had turned on them, Merlin’s coven had turned on them, and all the other vampires in the city that they’d been hiding from for the past four years had found out about them. He and Merlin had run all across England, but they couldn’t run forever. When the sun had come up, Arthur had left Merlin in a cave, and started pacing in front of it, growling at the approaching shadows. There seemed to be hundreds of them, but Arthur didn’t care. He would protect Merlin to his last dying breath. When one of the wolf-shaped shadows pounced, Arthur lunged and went straight for its neck.

He woke up drenched in sweat, flat on his back with his limbs at all four corners of the bed. Merlin was still sleeping beside him, so there must have been at least a little daylight lingering in the sky. And Arthur was hot inside and out, his cock standing straight and hard. He didn’t waste a single second before rolling over and pushing Merlin’s legs open, sliding into him and fucking fucking fucking.

It was almost easy now. Arthur didn’t know how it had happened, how everything had clicked into place, but he was glad it had. He was the wolf; the wolf was him. It was still a bit like walking on a fence, trying to keep from falling over too much to one side, but now it felt like the drop was shorter. He could claim Merlin, he could run his claws across Merlin’s skin without leaving too deep a cut, and he could finish without feeling the overwhelming need to bite something. He seemed to physically transform a bit more whenever he held back the mental aspect, but he was fine with that if it meant keeping Merlin unharmed.

As Arthur lay catching his breath and waiting for the swelling to go down, he felt a little guilty again for what he was doing to Merlin. Merlin had said that vampires like sex, but they probably didn’t like it _this_ much. And this had to happen once a year for as long as they lived?

Merlin suddenly groaned, shifting underneath Arthur as he awoke. Arthur was about to say good morning when Merlin arched his back, clenching the muscles in his arse and squeezing around Arthur’s knot. They moaned in unison.

“Fuck, that’s hot,” Merlin said. “I could get used to waking up like this.”

Arthur grinned. “Yeah? ‘Cause there’s four more days of it, you know.”

“As long as we’ve got past the biting stage, that sounds good to me.”

Arthur gently touched the rim of his bite mark from yesterday. Merlin didn’t even tense, so that was a good sign.

“It’s nearly completely healed,” Arthur said. “How does it feel?”

“Like it’s nearly completely healed.” Merlin looked back at him. “How do you feel?”

Arthur felt powerful. He felt like he imagined a bird might feel after learning to fly, like he’d had wings before but had only just stretched them out and put them to use.

He also felt a bit old. Werewolves had been around for millennia, and Arthur had that ancient power resonating inside him. No wonder Merlin sometimes scoffed at him for still relating with mortals. They were _nothing_ like mortals.

“Good,” Arthur replied. “I feel good.”

Merlin smiled and reached back to scratch behind Arthur’s ear. Arthur closed his eyes, humming contentedly. “I told you you could do it.”


End file.
